Safe starfish?

[MelanieF]

Hey everybody,

One of my LFS has a starfish for sale labeled "Purple Linckia". I know the Blue ones usually have 5 legs but this Purple one has 6. Other than the # of legs and the color difference it looks exactly like the Blue ones. Is it actually a Linckia?

Is it safe?

I've tried searching for photos to ID it on the net but my search engines keep giving me junk that doesn't help. I would love to buy it but I don't want to disrupt the balance I've got going in my tank right now. If it's safe then I know it has a taste for deitritus and waste instead of for my corals.

Thanks in advance for any responses!

Mel

 

[Anonymous]

I believe it isnt a part of the Linkia family however i also do believe it is reef safe, the question now is how hardy is it for the level of expertise one is at?

 

[MelanieF]

I'd be interested to see if anyone on this site actually has any experience with one or knows the scientific name for it if it's not a Linckia.

The LFS advised me that as long as it is SLOWLY acclimated over a period of at least 1 hour then it does much better than the Blue ones.

I was able to find a ton of info on the net about the blue ones because so many people have had them die due to improper acclimation :evil: , disease, or improper handling from the collector to the store.

Couldn't find anything on the purple ones so I'm hoping that's a good sign. This particular LFS has never ever steered me wrong and I doubt they ever will because I manage to spend an average of $400 there in a 4 month time frame. I'm sure they want me to keep coming back. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

yes starfish take time in acclimating..actually there isnt a whole lot that doesnt take time....the problem with the blue linkia, is all of your aforementioned problems and the simply fact it isnt recommended to the novice reef keeper...its sensitive to its living conditions......if you want a star, and you still have a relatively new tank, maybe try a brittle or serpent star...maybe not as pretty as the purple guy, but why not get a feel for a more hardy star first.. just a suggestion though, my word isnt golden...

 

[MelanieF]

This wouldn't be my first starfish experience. I currently have a gazillion white brittle looking stars reproducing like crazy so I'm sure my system will be just fine for a new starfish.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Cabreradavid]

Most of the purple linckias for sale are Tamaria stria. Apparently there are also some linckias that appear purple, but they are not common in the trade. In addition to acclimation being important (this includes not exposing the sea star to air) I think selection at the store is also important. Lots of the linckias I see in stores are not in great shape to begin with (sadly). I looked at several linkias over several visits to several stores before I selected one. I have had this star in two seperate tanks for over two years now and it is doing well (including surviving a run in with [i think] an angry crab which required the regrowing of an arm and battle scars).
What are your tank parameters and how old is the tank? I think Linckias are best placed in larger aquaria with enough mature live rock and substrate from which to feed. Here is a good link:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... toonen.htm

DMC

 

[MelanieF]

UPDATE: I went and bought the starfish. It has acclimated just fine and is moving around like it owns the place.

Cabreradavid,

So the Tamaria stria can have 6 legs???

All tank params are perfect. (Like I said, I have starfish already multiplying in the tank.)

I started my 20 gallon project in September last year and moved everything from that into my Christmas present last month. (72 gallon)

I've been doing reef tanks for quite a few years now so I'm not inexperienced but like all of you there are some things I just don't know.

The original question was basically...

Is a purple starfish w/ 6 legs actually safe for a reef tank? -and- Does anyone know exactly what species it is?

Thanks again.

 

[teevee]

I agree that it is likely Tamaria stria. Reef-safe, like Linckia spp., no one really knows what they eat. Your best bet is a large tank (>100 gal).

 

[Cabreradavid]

Linckia can have 4-6 legs, and I believe that would extend to T. stria as well. This is actually a temperate-tropical water species from the California coast extending down through Mexico. Yes, it is reef safe (as long as it is T. stria or a true purple linckia). The reason I asked about tank parameters related to making sure there was enough mature substrate upon which to feed.

Dmc

 

[MelanieF]

I have 120 lbs of sand and 75 lbs of live rock in the 72 gallon. Lots of interesting fauna. It must be paradise for it since now it has no predators and can eat all day long. :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

I'm glad I saw this post. I corresponded with Rob Toonen about these stars very recently:

"I had a question for you about the starfish in the lobby tank.  There are two purple stars in there that look superficially like Linckias, but with 6 arms.  I know you told me the species name once, but it escapes me.  Anyhow, I've found three of their arms in the refugium of the tank, and they've been alive for at least three months now.  They don't appear to be bitten off or anything--both ends appear to be healed.  Each "bud", for lack of a better term, is about two inches long.  The tube feet move and the arms are occasionally in different areas on the rocks.  They don't seem to have any part of the central disc or any mouth at all.  OK, so everything I've read has told me this is not possible; these arms should have died from lack of food a long time ago, right?  Is it possible that they're actually receiving nutrition somehow, and this is some weird form of reproduction?
Thanks, Matt"

"Those purple stars are usually either Tamaria stria from the Sea of Cortez or Leiaster teres from the IndoPacific - I don't know where they came from, so I can only hazard a guess at Tamaria from what I remember...  Tamaria stays smaller (about 5" maximum diameter) and has more than 5 arms, whereas Leiaster has almost always got 5 arms and can get more than a foot in diameter....  Regardless of which one you have, both species are predatory on small sessile invertebrates (there have been no studies on these particular species, but all members of these two genera feed on clams, snails, sponges, tunicates and small cnidarians).  To the best of my knowledge, there has also been no studies of the reproductive behavior of either species, but what you describe is very common for some species of Linckia, and could well be a form of asexual reproduction.  Asterinid sea stars can go an amazingly long time without food, and can digest their inner tissues to support themselves during periods of starvation or regeneration.  It is quite possible that they may be able to completely regenerate the body from a simple limb bud such as you describe, and that is actually the primary mode of reproduction for species like Linckia multifora.  You can probably find some cool pics if you search for images of this species in Google..
        That's great to hear - say Hi to everyone at MARS for me!
Rob"

FWIW, I believe Rob means *very* small sessile inverts, as we have have lots of sponges, snails, and small cnidarian polyps in this tank, with 2 of these stars. They have been there for over a year.
 

 

[MelanieF]

Thanks Matt!

That info actually is very useful to me as this new starfish actually let one of its arms go last night and I was kinda weirded out watching this little arm crawl all around the tank by itself!! 8O

It hasn't messed with any of my snails or anything. It just moves all over the rock at night and finds a shading spot once the lights come on. I think my tank life just got way more interesting.

This is definately an addicting hobby no matter how much money it costs. People come over to my house and stare at the tank instead of the TV. It's pretty cool because they test my knowledge w/ all kinds of questions which encourages me to find the answers that I do not know.

Thanks again!!! I'll keep ya posted on how long it takes the arm to form another starfish and/or how long it takes the starfish to regrow the arm.

 

[Anonymous]

What does the spot where it broke off look like? Does it look damaged? Just to clarify, it's only a guess that it reproduces this way. The ones I noticed have stayed "arms" for at least 3 months now, and I see no indication that they're growing into full stars. They may just wither and die of starvation in another month.

 

[Juck]

I can't see how it dropping a leg after one day in your tank is gonna end well.

Good luck though!

 

[MelanieF]

Well I'm hoping it will be OK.

The part of the leg that is still attached to the starfish has already closed itself up on the end and is acting as normal. There aren't any white dissolving appearances at all. No visible snails or anything on the underside of the starfish either. The feet on both the starfish and the detached leg are still moving around and acting normal. It's been like this for at least 12 hours now today.

It's an alien thought to me that this detached leg will remain just a leg and somehow stay alive so you may be right about starvation of the leg Matt.

I do have a "clicker" somewhere in my tank so maybe the starfish crossed its path last night or something but my fish, snails, and hermits have never been injured by it so I assumed it was harmless.

 

[shr00m]

usually when they drop arms like that its due to acclimating too fast...

 

[MelanieF]

Well... It's dead now. And no, not because of improper acclimation. After lights out last night I watched to see where the starfish went and it went underneath a piece of live rock. I started hearing my "clicker" rapidly clicking and the this morning saw no sign of the starfish. I had to rush to work so couldn't investigate until I got home this afternoon.

When I got home I took out that piece of rock that the starfish had gone under and took a hammer to it. Guess what, I found the starfish in the grips of my "clicker". As the starfish was definately a goner they both received a one way ticket to the sewers. No more clicking anymore but I think I'll still wait and make sure before attempting another starfish.

Grrrr...

 

[MelanieF]

BTW, That makes the 2nd mantis shrimp I've removed from my tank now. Hopefully there aren't any babies silently waiting to wreak more havoc!!

 

[Anonymous]

sorry to hear that...